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MudMan Off-Road Duathlon: supporting Scotty’s Little Soldiers

9th February 2015

MudMan Duathlon, due to take place on 7th March in the grueling grounds of the MOD in Camberley, will see 700 thrill-seekers take the tracks, many in aid of official charity partner, Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

One of the many entered is Stuart Robinson, CEO of Scotty’s Little Soldiers and brother of Nikki Scott who founded the charity in 2010 after losing her husband in Afghanistan.

We spoke to Stuart about why he decided to get involved with MudMan and why the charity has chosen to partner the Human Race Off-Road Series.

“A ‘friend’ decided it would be a great idea for us to team up and tackle MudMan together. These events are totally new to me as a participant but I’m looking forward to it. As it is a new experience I’m not completely sure what to expect but I’ve been trying to mix up my training so it includes off-road distance running as well as some functional gym work. I’ll soon find out if I’ve been training enough!

“We have seen a large increase in fundraisers supporting Scotty’s through various off-road events and were keen to partner with a series that offered participants a real challenge to get stuck into that was also very organised and professionally managed.

“With our close relationship to the military community the Human Race Off-Series is perfect as it takes place on Army training grounds and we are very grateful to Human Race for agreeing to support us.”

Scotty’s Little Soldiers, official charity partner of the Off-Road Series, was established in 2010 to support the children of men and women killed whilst serving in the British Armed Forces.

The charity helps the children left behind in three key ways; Smiles, Support and Strides. The charity provide ‘Smiles’ by organising everything from Christmas and birthday presents to holidays in the Scotty Lodges. ‘Support’ is a vital part of the charity’s work which involves working with the children to cope with the emotional side of bereavement. Finally ‘Strides’, the charity supports members until the age of 19 and helps them with everything from driving lessons to Further Education grants.

Many of the charity’s fundraisers will douse themselves in everything from baked beans to frozen lakes and push their bodies to the limit in events such as the Off-Road Series to raise money for the cause.

“We currently hold the Guinness World Record for the longest ever game of rugby union at 24 hours and 51 minutes which was a seriously physical and mental challenge for those involved. This year the same group who organised the rugby match are walking from Portsmouth to Mametz Wood, about 200 miles and the equivalent of eight marathons in just four days, following the path many of our brave soldiers took in the past. We do rely mostly on our amazing supporters organising fundraising events on our behalf.

“There are so many ways to get involved; donating, fundraising, raising awareness of the charity, wearing Scotty’s running vests at events – anyone that signs up to fundraise for the charity in the Off-Road Series receives a free vest – even liking our Facebook page can help promote Scotty’s further.

“There are lots of children who have lost a parent in the British Forces who aren’t currently being supported by Scotty’s Little Soldiers and with your help we can reach out to them.”